Palm M500 Handheld Instructions Manual

About This Book Page 1
About This Book
Welcome to the Palm™ m500 series handheld. This handbook is 
designed to help you get up and running quickly on your handheld. 
It describes all you need to know about how to use your handheld and 
the applications that come with it. 
It walks you through:
nLocating all the parts of your handheld
nViewing and entering data
nWorking with expansion cards
nUsing your handheld with your computer
nPersonalizing your handheld with your own preference settings
After you...

Page 2  About This Book 

Chapter 1 Page 3
Chapter 1
Introduction to Your 
Handheld
This chapter explains the physical buttons and controls on your 
Palm™ m500 series handheld, how to use your handheld for the first 
time, how to add expansion cards to your handheld, and how to use 
HotSync
® technology to synchronize your handheld and Palm™ 
Desktop software.
Getting to know your Palm m500 series
handheld
What is a Palm m500 series handheld?
Palm™ m500 series handhelds will help you stay organized and on 
time, and keep up with...

Page 4  Introduction to Your Handheld
System requirements
To install and operate Palm Desktop software, your computer system 
must meet the following requirements:
Minimum requirements: Windows 
nIBM-compatible Pentium-class computer 
nWindows 98/Me/2000 (Windows 95/NT operating systems 
require a serial cradle, sold separately)
n16 MB RAM (64 MB recommended with Windows 2000)
n30 MB available hard disk space
nVGA monitor or better (the Quick Tour requires 256-color video 
display; for best results, use...

Chapter 1 Page 5
Palm m500 series components
Locating front panel controls
IR portUses infrared technology to transmit data to and 
receive data from other Palm OS handhelds, and to 
perform HotSync operations. See “Beaming 
information” in Chapter 6 and “IR HotSync 
operations” in Chapter 7 for more information.
Power 
button/
Backlight 
control
/
LED 
indicator Turns your handheld on or off and controls the 
backlight feature. If your handheld is turned off, 
pressing the power button turns the...

Page 6  Introduction to Your Handheld
Using the backlight
If lighting conditions make it difficult for you to see the information 
on your handheld, you can use the backlight to illuminate your screen.
To activate the backlight:
nPress the power button and hold it down for about two seconds. 
Release the button when the backlight turns on.
Tip:  In addition, you can assign the full-screen pen stroke to 
activate the backlight. See “Pen preferences” in Chapter 8 for 
details.
To turn off the backlight:...

Chapter 1 Page 7
Using the onscreen contrast control
Some Palm m500 series handhelds allow you to further adjust your 
display by changing the amount of contrast on the screen. 
To adjust the contrast:
1. Tap the Contrast icon   in the upper-right corner of the Graffiti 
writing area.
2. Do one of the following:
To change the contrast in small increments, tap to the left or 
right of the slider.
To change the contrast in larger increments, drag the slider to 
the left or right.
Tip:You can also use the...

Page 8  Introduction to Your Handheld
Locating back panel components
Side channelsThe right side channel holds the stylus, which 
slides in and out and clicks into place. To use the 
stylus, remove it and hold it as you would a pen 
or pencil. The left side channel holds the front 
cover, which also slides in and out.
Expansion 
card slotAccepts Secure Digital (SD) or MultiMedia Card 
(MMC) expansion cards, enabling you to add 
more memory or applications. You can also back 
up data to an expansion...

Chapter 1 Page 9
Upgrading from another Palm OS 
handheld
If you already own a Palm OS handheld, you must install the version 
of Palm Desktop software that comes with your new handheld. To 
upgrade quickly and easily, perform the tasks described in the 
following sections. Some tasks are specifically for upgrading.
Preparing to use your handheld
Before you begin using your handheld and Palm Desktop software, 
you must complete a few easy installation tasks. 
To use your handheld and Palm Desktop...

Page 10  Introduction to Your Handheld
HotSync operations” in Chapter 5 “for details, or refer to Getting 
Started with Palm™ m500 Series Handhelds.
n(If upgrading) Rename your old handheld. To prevent unexpected 
results during HotSync operations, each handheld must have a 
unique name. We recommend that you perform a hard reset on 
your old handheld. See “Performing a hard reset” in Appendix A 
for details.
Connecting the HotSync cradle
Important:The HotSync cradle supplied with your handheld fits a...